The Day The Sun Stood Still

TITLE: THE DAY THE SUN STOOD STILL

SCRIPTURE: JOSHUA 10:6-14

On this past Monday, August 21st, all of North America, millions of people were treated to see one of nature’s most wondrous spectacles. Anyone within the path of totality was able to see one of nature’s most awe inspiring sights – a total solar eclipse. An eclipse is a cosmic billiard shot — the Sun, Moon, and Earth line up to reveal the Sun's atmosphere, its corona. Eclipses on Earth occur only because of an amazing celestial performance.

• Eclipses happen somewhere around the world about every six months

• But this one was special

• For the first time in almost 40 years, the path of the moon's shadow passes through the entire Continental United States

• For the first time in 90 years the path extended from the West Coast of Utah through the East Coast of the Carolinas

• This will not happen in this location again for another approximately 90 years

• It was a scene of unimaginable beauty

• The Moon completely blocked the Sun

• Daytime became a deep twilight

• And the Sun’s corona shimmered in the darkened sky

Schools across our communities were on lock down to keep our Children safe from damaging their eyes by looking directly at the eclipse. Other schools made it a scientific project and provided children with proper glasses and took them outside to view. Here in Ardmore, around 1:15 in the afternoon it looked as though it was dusk as though it were 6:30 in the evening and the temperature dropped over 10 degrees. Few minutes later the Sun resumed its shine and the heat of Summer quickly returned. Can I tell you this morning my brothers and sisters – only God can perform something so magnificent and spectacular!

I call your attention this morning to an even greater feat performed by the Lord way back in the Old Testament -- The Day The Sun Stood Still. One of the things I love about the Old Testament it is filled with many accounts of fascinating and sometimes very strange miracles performed by God.

• God rained down fire and brimstone out of the heavens on Sodom and Gomorrah

• He parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River so His people could cross on dry ground

• He turned Water into Blood

• He bought Water out of a Rock

• He made Bitter Water Turn Sweet

• He even made an Ax Head Float on Water

• He sent Plagues of Frogs – Lice – Flies – Locusts

• He made a Donkey Talk

• He opened up the earth to Swallow Korah and his 250 men that rebelled against Moses

This morning I call your attention to one of the greatest miracles God performed found here in this OT text -- The Day The Sun Stood Still. Let’s take a moment for some Background behind this passage that we have read. It is one of where the CITY OF GIBEON IS UNDER SIEGE from five Kings of the surrounding area. All of these kings, ADONIZEDEK (Jerusalem) -- HOHAM (Hebron) -- PIRAM (Jarmuth) -- JAPHIA (Lachish) -- DEBIR (Eglon), have watched Joshua and the Israelites take over JERICHO and AI.

As the battles continued and Israel pressed her way into the land of Canaan, these kings notice that the GIBEONITES had made an alliance with Joshua and because Gibeon was a great city, they decide they will take it so that Joshua and the Israelites would not have the opportunity to take the land of the Gibeonites. I need to footnote here for a few minutes. When the Gibeonites heard what Joshua and the Israelites had done to Jericho and Ai, they CONCOCTED A DECEPTIVE PLAN to “save their own hides.”

• Pretending to be ambassadors from a foreign country, the Gibeonites came to Joshua bearing gifts

• They told Joshua how they had heard about the great things his God had done in Egypt and how He had given them the victory over the surrounding nations

• Their intent was to get Joshua to make a peace treaty with them by offering themselves as servants to the Israelites

WITHOUT CONSULTING GOD on this matter, Joshua agreed to make a Peace Treaty with them. It wasn't until three days later that Joshua found out the truth. These people weren't foreigners at all. They were the Gibeonites who lived nearby. Well it didn't take long for word to spread to the other inhabitants of the land that the Gibeonites had “DEFECTED” and became allies with the Israelites.

• So five kings decided to form “an alliance” of their own and send their armies to attack the Gibeonites to teach them a lesson

• Although the Gibeonites were renowned as the strongest men in the land, they knew they were no match for the allied armies of the five kings